.png)
10 months ago
21
Closing argument are underway in the Texas murder trial of Kaitlin Armstrong, who is accused of killing her boyfriend's love interest.
Jurors in the case will not hear from Armstrong herself as she declined to testify in her own defense Wednesday.
Armstrong, 35, faces murder charges in the May 11, 2022 death of Moriah 'Mo' Wilson, 25, a pro-cyclist who had dated Armstrong's boyfriend when the two had broken up but later reconciled.
Prosecutors came out swinging during closing arguments Thursday, telling jurors in an Austin, Texas courtroom that Armstrong was not the 'shrinking violet' her lawyers had described.
'This is your shrinking violet,' said prosecutors, as they showed a photo of Armstrong shooting a firearm at a gun range.
Pro-cyclist Moriah 'Mo'Wilson was gunned down while staying in the Austin apartment of a friend
Armstrong's former partner Colin Strickland, left, had previously admitted that he did in fact have an affair with Moriah Wilson, pictured right
Jurors immediately heard surveillance video of Wilson screaming followed by gunshots.
'The last thing she did on Earth was scream in terror,' state prosecutor Rickey Jones.
'Then she runs to Costa Rica, gets plastic surgery, teaching yoga on the beach, while the Wilsons are left trying to pick up the pieces.'
Armstrong fled Austin, Texas, days after Wilson's slaying to Costa Rica to avoid being charged.
She left the country using a passport that belong to her sister, Christine.
US Marshals eventually tracked down her down to a remote beach town where she was living under several aliases and had a nose job and a brow lift.
The former yoga teacher tried to escape from police custody a second time days before her trial began.
'She's running from you and you and you. You are a jury of her peers and everyone gets their day in court,' Jones added.
'Kaitlin Armstrong enters the courtroom,' tweeted News Nation reporter Alex Caprariello.
'She is wearing a black pantsuit and dark teal blouse. She does not make eye contact with anyone as she enters. She takes her seat at the defense table. Two rows behind her sits her parents and her sister, Christine.'
Kaitlin Armstrong enters the courtroom. She is wearing a black pantsuit and dark teal blouse. She does not make eye contact with anyone as she enters. She takes her seat at the defense table. Two rows behind her sits her parents and her sister, Christine.
— Alex Caprariello (@alcaprari23) November 16, 2023Armstrong is seen here arriving at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston as she was brought back from Costa Rica
'Never seen so much evidence in my life against one person,' Jones stated.
Cameras haven't been allowed in the courtroom for the trial that began Oct. 30, except for opening and closing statements.
Defense Attorney Rick Coffey is speaking to jurors now, describing Strickland as the 'poster boy for Peter Pan syndrome, describing him as a liar and womanizer.
'Mo Wilson was not the first woman in Colin's life,' Coffey stated.
'She had to be portrayed as a jealous psycho to explain motive.'
But jealousy, Coffey added, does not equal murder, calling Armstrong has normal human emotions of not trusting a cheating boyfriend.
Armstrong's lawyer reminded the jury DNA taken from Wilson's body to see if she had been raped the night of her murder was never tested.
Neither was unknown DNA on Wilson's bike.
'The truth of the matter is that APD didn't want a single piece of evidence in front of you that points away from Kaitlin Armstrong. They don't want a single piece of evidence that is inconsistent with their case,' her lawyer went on.
Armstrong faces 99 years in prison if convicted.
English (US)